Category: Holidays

Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole {Paleo, Vegan}

pecans

From butternut squash soup and roasted Brussels sprouts to pumpkin spiced anything to comforting chilis and stews, I LOVE fall food!

We had a Thanksgiving lunch at work this past week, and one of the dishes was a sweet potato casserole topped with pecans. That’s what inspired me to create this dish.

I’m a big fan of sweet potatoes and pecans, especially since both are so nourishing and fueling to our bodies.

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Sweet potatoes have lots of health benefits. They are…

And, the most unscientific benefit…

They are REALLY DELICIOUS 🙂

Mashed sweet potatoes + pecans = sweet, creamy, crunchy and satisfying…comfort food at its finest.

You don’t even need any super fancy gadgets to make this Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole, just a basic hand mixer.

Sweet potatoes name

Pecan-Coated Sweet Potato Casserole

This dish is one of our family favorites at Thanksgiving or anytime you want to highlight the flavors, colors and textures of fall. 

Filling

  • 4 large sweet potatoes
  • 1 cup full-fat coconut milk (unsweetened)
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

Topping

  • 1 cup pecans (chopped)
  • 3/4 cup almond flour or almond meal
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3-4 tablespoons coconut oil (solid, so it crumbles)
  • 1/2 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • Pinch sea salt
  1. Preheat oven to 400F.

  2. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes with a fork and place on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour, or until fork tender. Allow to cool slightly then peel the skin off the sweet potatoes.

  3. Reduce oven temperature to 350F. 

  4. Place the sweet potato pulp, coconut milk, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, ginger, nutmeg, and sea salt in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, until thoroughly combined and fluffy. Taste and adjust sweetness/spices if needed.

  5. Grease an 8×8 baking dish with coconut oil (or grass-fed butter or ghee) and pour sweet potato mixture into the dish.

  6. In a separate bowl combine the pecans, almond meal/flour, coconut oil, maple syrup, cinnamon and sea salt with your hands until it comes together as a crumble.

  7. Sprinkle pecan mixture on top of sweet potatoes and bake for 18-20 minutes or until the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm.

If you prefer to steam the potatoes instead of roasting them, use this method.

Do you have a favorite sweet potato recipe?

Feel free to share it below! I love hearing from you 🙂

Healthy Thanksgiving Recipes: Gluten Free, Dairy-Free, Paleo

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! It’s my favorite food holiday and a wonderful time to reflect on what matters most and what we value and appreciate.

I have a lot to be thankful for, including all of YOU who have been SO supportive of me and my continued work on this blogging adventure.

I am SUPER excited to spend most of the day in the kitchen Thursday preparing yummy and nourishing food for my family. I love them and want them to be well!

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I love how colorful the Thanksgiving plate can be, how amazing our house smells as everything is cooking and all of the flavors are coming together, and taking the time to reflect on what matters most to me.

Here are a few of the recipes I’ve shared on the blog before (and some I haven’t!) that would be perfect for your Thanksgiving dinner 🙂 Just as a little reminder, all of these recipes are dairy-free and gluten-free, so just about anyone can enjoy them!

Thanksgiving Recipes

  1. Roasted Butternut Squash with Kale and Almond Parmesan
  2. Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  3. Butternut Squash and Quinoa Harvest Salad
  4. Taste the Rainbow Kale Salad
  5. Pecan-Crusted Sweet Potato Casserole
  6. Paleo Pumpkin Cheesecake Squares
  7. Maple-Glazed Delicata Squash
  8. The Ultimate Gluten-Free Bread Stuffing {Paleo}
  9. Cran-Apple Quinoa Salad
  10. Paleo Pumpkin Muffins & Bread
  11. Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Walnuts
  12. Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
  13. Green Beans Almondine
  14. Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Mash
  15. Brussels Sprouts with Shallots, Cranberries & Pecans
  16. Protein-Packed Pumpkin Spice Dip
  17. Melt In Your Mouth Apple Crisp
  18. How to Make Your Own Pumpkin Puree
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Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad with Walnuts

People often ask where I look for recipes when I’m trying to come up with ideas. Here are a few of the blogs I will be getting inspirations from this Thanksgiving. Check out the recipes and let me know if you end up trying out any of them!

Healthy & Gluten-Free Recipes from The Detoxinista

I love so many of her recipes and try out at least one of them every couple of weeks. I’m excited to try out her Clean Green Bean Casserole (cut back on the sodium – it’s a LOT!), No-Bake Pumpkin Pie Tarts, and Grain-Free Stuffing, but she highlights a full list of 10 of her favorites here, so be sure to check it out!

Grain-Free Thanksgiving from Against All Grain

I made a recipe for a dense, moist (everyone’s favorite word, right??) pumpkin bread that I saw blogger and author, Danielle Walker, post on Facebook and brought it to my church for our annual Thanksgiving dinner tonight. SO worth it!

Not only that, but Danielle is offering a completely grain-free Thanksgiving recipe ebook for sale on her website for less than $5! Many people who have digestive challenges feel better when they at least temporarily eliminate grains from their diet.

Against All Grain's Pumpkin Bread (Nut-Free, Grain-Free & Dairy-Free!)

Against All Grain’s Pumpkin Bread (Nut-Free, Grain-Free & Dairy-Free!)

Nourishing Meals by Tom Malterre

What caught my eye was this mouth-watering picture of an Apple Cider & Herb Brined Turkey. This Wild Rice Stuffing recipe with apples, cranberries, and sage looks (and sound tasty), too, so I may try it!

I also happen to think the two Nourishing Meals cookbooks are FANTASTIC, and I highly recommend them.

Our Paleo Thanksgiving by realfoodwithdana

I’ve been following Dana’s work on Instagram for the past few years and have gotten to meet her in person at the Natural Products Expo East several times. She focuses on paleo recipes (no beans, grains, dairy, refined sugar or processed foods), and she is fun and funny, too. If you’re not already following her on instagram, you can do that here.

In this post, she shares over 50 paleo-friendly, mouthwatering Thanksgiving recipes that you will definitely want to check out to upgrade your menu.

Nomtastic Thanksgiving Recipesfrom nomnompaleo

I love the playful vibe of this blog and appreciate how simple and fun their approach is. Their Roasted Garlic Autumn Root Vegetable Mash, Brussels Sprouts Chips (um, yes, please!!) and Cran-Cherry Sauce are all on my list of menu possibilities.

Vegan Thanksgiving Recipes from oh she glows

Angela posts amazing recipes (and beautiful photos). I made my own version of a sweet potato casserole tonight but think this one looks pretty awesome, too! This Gooey Pumpkin Spice Latte Chocolate Pudding Cake sounds as incredible as the pictures look and may be worth trying.

And now for a little gravy on top…

For whatever reason, I’ve never been a fan of gravy, but I know it’s most people’s favorite thing about the meal, so here is a recipe for a gluten-free gravy and another for a vegan mushroom gravy recipe to check out! Both have good reviews. Bon Appetit also wrote a simple post about how to make gluten-free gravy, and you can check it out here.

What’s YOUR favorite Thanksgiving dish? Feel free to leave a comment below 🙂

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